Tiger cubs Spot and Stripe meet their future family for the first time

By Benjamen Judd3 years ago

Hand-reared by British tiger expert and the head of Big Cats at Australia Zoo Giles Clark, tiger cubs Spot and Stripes were part of a BBC series, Tigers About House, that documented their early development.

As they got older, it also covered their introduction to Australia Zoo's other resident tigers and in particular Maneki – a nine-year-old female tiger who had never before seen tiger cubs.

While it seems that both Maneki and cubs don't interact much, the chuffing sound you hear is a tiger's way of saying hello. It's also used by mother tigers to comfort her cubs, a good sign according to the keepers that Maneki (and the other tigers) would welcome Spot and Stripe.

Tigers are one of only two of the big cats to chuff, or prusten. The other is the endangered snow leopard.